Real or Not Real?
by Kaori Koriryu
Summary: Kai's life turns into a big game of Real or Not Real when he wakes up one day to find it's time for school. Was his life as a ninja really real, or was it all a dream, too good to be true? Requested by Insert Name Here Reviewer!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ninjgo. ^^**

Prologue: Grasping for Memories

Kai sat up in his bed with a groan, rubbing his aching head. "Hey, guys, what happened?" he asked. He frowned as he got no answer and opened his eyes, squinting against the bright light filtering in through the window. "Guys?"

It was only when he looked around did he realize he wasn't in the ship. The walls were painted a bright blue and the carpet was grassy green, as if someone was in the middle of recreating a nature scene and it had been interrupted by pieces of furniture. Sadly there were no bunk beds, which meant the others couldn't be here.

Kai got up and frowned, then he heard a familiar voice from downstairs, although one he had not heard in a while. "Kai! Ten more minutes until you have to be at school, dear!"

When exactly had his mother come back from the dead? Kai stumbled down the stairs in a daze. "Mom?"

The black-haired woman looked at him crossly. "Kai, why aren't you ready for school?" Her face softened with worry as she saw his dazed face. She felt his forehead and pulled away, sighing and shaking her head. "Too bad. Looks like you've still got that cold, Kai. You'll have to stay home from school."

"But I-" Kai frowned, not remembering what he was going to say. Who was he even expecting to answer when he was talking in his room, anyway? He decided it must have been the cold at work on his senses and giving him weird dreams. All he could really remember from whatever crazy dream he must've had was ninjas and three friends.

"Oh, and Kai, sweetie, your Grandpa Wu is coming over next week, so be ready!"

"Okay, mom." Kai said, then coughed hard. He stumbled wearily back up the steps to his room.

He couldn't wait for his cold to be gone.

**Okay, short chapter, I know. But I will be making the other chapters longer, as this was only the prologue. ^^**

**~Kaori**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Never have, never will own Ninjago. **

Chapter One: The Metaphorical Food Chain

The next day Kai was back at school. He walked in the door with his back pack slung over his shoulder, wearing a white shirt with a red jacket, jeans, and black Nikes. Almost immediately his friend, Michael (but most just called him Mike) joined him.

"Hey, Kai! Why weren't you in school yesterday?" Michael asked, grinning. The guy always seemed to have a smile on his face, even when the school 'bad boy', Cole, had made fun of him once in front of his crush.

Here's how Kai's school worked. Major jerks like Cole were at the top with the jocks and preps. People like Kai and Mike, who were good people and dressed and acted just the right way, were right underneath him on the high school's metaphorical food chain. Next were the smart but 'pretty' kids, like Jay, who was a serious inventor. Really, every time he was in shop class he thought of something new! Finally, the complete weirdoes, freaks, and 'ugly people' were at the bottom, those that were always quiet and who were awkward in social situations, like sixth-sense Zane.

Speaking of the metaphorical food chain, Kai glanced over to where Zane's locker was, five lockers to the right of his. Kai started unlocking his own locker as Zane was getting stuff out of his.

Mike tapped Kai's shoulder in alarm and pointed over his shoulder in the other direction, not looking as he unlocked his own locker. Kai glanced over and saw Cole approaching Zane with a smirk on his face. He glanced back down at the lock and opened the locker door, trying to block out the conversation that ensued.

There was a thud as Kai collected his books. "Oh, hey, Sixth-sense, looks like you dropped your books."

"It seems it was a simple mistake." Zane's voice said, the sound of shuffling coming to Kai as he bent to pick up his books and papers.

Kai got his books and closed his locker, looking over at Mike. He rushed into the classroom with his friend, not wanting to have to be a witness.

Mike sat his books down on the desk beside Kai's. "Poor Zane." He said sympathetically.

Kai gritted his teeth. "Don't say that. If we really thought, "_Poor Zane_", we would've helped him." he muttered, hating how he actually _hadn't_ helped Zane. It made him feel terrible, but almost no one spoke to Cole out of turn. He had already gotten several suspensions that year for getting in fights.

"Hey, don't feel bad. You don't want to be out of school any more days for injuries or suspension for fighting back." Mike sighed.

"I guess you're right." Kai agreed, just as Zane entered the room. He kept his face down, even though he had that same serious face as always.

"I really hate how they treat him, though." Kai sighed after a moment's pause.

"I know, but they treat a lot of people that way. We can't do anything to stop it, Kai. We can just hope they learn to stand up for themselves."

"Zane, stand up for himself?" Kai found himself laughing at the idea. "Mike, he's like a gazelle in a field full of lions. I don't think the kid could hurt a fly!"

"Maybe you're right, but you never know." Mike said, shrugging.

"Whatever." Kai said, folding his arms and sitting back in his chair.

For the rest of the day, the boy couldn't stop thinking of how he had done nothing to stop Cole. He regretted it, to be honest. It was his conscience, and only that (at least he would say), that drove him to approach Zane at the end of school, dragging Mike with him.

"Hey, Zane." he called, walking towards the white-blond with Mike in tow.

Zane looked down at the floor again, obviously thinking that more people were going to pick on him today, this time by the semi-populars. "Yes?"

"Sorry for what happened this morning. I- well, we –should've done something to stop it."

Zane looked up at Kai with surprise etched on his face. "You think I minded? I really don't. At least someone talks to me then. I am not used to being talked to by others my age, regretfully."

Kai glanced at Mike, then back at Zane. For some reason, Zane seemed to be more of a friend to him through these few words than Mike was by being his friend since kindergarten.

Making a quick decision, he asked Zane, "Hey, you want to come over to my house today? We have awesome video games there."

Mike jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow, his eyes wide in alarm, but Kai ignored him. Zane gave him another look, this time even more surprised. "Really?"

"Sure." Kai said, grinning as he slid his books into his bookbag. While they had been talking he had been unlocking his locker and putting everything he didn't need for homework inside it.

"Um, Kai, thought your mom was going to pick you up today…." Mike said in agitation.

"Yeah, so?" Kai said, shrugging. He turned back to Zane. "So, would your parents be okay with that?"

"Yes, my dad has me riding the bus home, and he doesn't really care about me, just my younger brother." Zane sighed.

"Oh." Kai said, looking away uncomfortably. "Well, ah, I suppose we should go…."

Zane nodded and followed Kai out to the parking lot, where a line of cars were waiting with parents inside to pick up their children. Many people gave the two strange looks as they made their way to the van in the front of the car line and got in.

Kai smiled at his mother. "Hey mom. Mind if Zane comes home with us today?"

"I don't mind at all, honey." She said with a smile. She looked at Zane through her rearview mirror. "Now, who is this? I've never seen him or heard of him from you before."

"He's a new friend." Kai explained, grinning at Zane from the front seat. He saw Zane give a slight smile back from the rearview.

"Well he seems nice." Kai's mother chuckled, driving down the road near the mall. Kai caught Zane staring at the mall with wide eyes, and he gave Zane a look of confusion, but he didn't quite catch it as he stared at the mall.

Kai just shrugged it off and they were quiet the rest of the ride to Kai's house. When they got there, Kai led Zane up to his room. "This is where I sleep, play video games, and basically live out my days." Kai said, grinning as he flopped onto the bed.

Zane stood in the doorway, seeming unsure if he should enter or not, while at the same time seeming awed at the room.

"Hey, you okay? Come on in, Zane." This seemed to shake Zane out of his trance-like state and bring him into the room.

"I am fine, just not used to seeing a room so large." Zane confessed softly, his embarrassment evident in his gaze.

Kai frowned, sitting up on his bed. "Hey, seriously, you seem like something is bothering you. What's up?" Of course Kai would ask this, as he was the protective type.

"I'm… fine…." Zane sighed. He looked up at Kai, confusion in his eyes. "I feel like I know you."

"I feel like I know you, too. It's weird, huh?" Kai picked a book from his shelf and started flipping to a random page, not really reading, just giving himself something to look at.

"Yes, odd… but that's why I feel I can trust you." Zane sighed, sitting in the computer chair. "You see, my dad only cares for my little brother, Lloyd, as I said before. He's not even my real dad, but my step-father. He's not very nice, either." Zane frowned, and Kai could tell he was holding something back, but he didn't push it.

"Well… I'm sorry." Kai told Zane sincerely. He picked up a Wii controller from his nightstand and grinned.

"How 'bout we get to those video games, then?"

**I feel so sorry for Zane…. I had him bullied so much in this chapter. Poor Zane! T_T Any guesses on who his dad is? **

**~Kaori**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, to answer some questions and make things clear: Lord Garmadon and Sensei Wu aren't related in this world. I did get the name from the Hunger Games, I will admit it. I don't like Nya, so she isn't in this fanfic at all, she wasn't ever born. And Jay will appear this chapter or the next.**

**Disclaimer: Kaori no own Ninjago.**

Chapter Two: Coward

"C'mon, it won't be that bad!"

"You invited Zane. To be our friend."

"Well, yeah."

"I can't believe you!"

"You sound like a girl that just got broken up with, dude."

"Shut up!"

Mike shot a glare towards Kai in the heated discussion. "Just because you two became such good friends yesterday doesn't mean I have to hang out with him!"

"Lighten up." Kai grumbled, jabbing him in the ribs with his elbow.

As he climbed the last step and turned into the upstairs hallway, he saw Cole by Zane's locker, teasing the poor boy yet again. Instantly Kai felt enraged, and, ignoring Mike's urgent pleas for him to stay back, he marched up to Cole.

"Hey, Cole, quit picking on the poor kid." Kai snapped.

The black-haired boy turned to face him with shock written all over his face. "You talking to me?" he asked, pointing at himself and looking genuinely surprised.

"Yeah. I'm talking to you." Kai muttered threateningly, his hand turning into a fist by his side.

Cole gave a lopsided grin, but it was menacing as well. "Okay, kid. You want a fight? You got one."

Kai dropped his bookbag by the row of lockers and rolled up his sleeves. "Come at me, jerk." he growled, his gaze darkening.

Cole cracked his knuckles. "Sure thing, little punk." Then, without hesitating, his fist flew at Kai's face.

Kai stumbled back, lights dancing in his vision as pain gathered in his right eye. He scowled at Cole and pulled his own fist back, punching Cole in the stomach.

As the boy doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach, the crowd in the hall started clearing away, leaving a large circle for the two boys.

Kai cracked his knuckles as Cole had done. "Give up?" the normally kind boy asked.

"Never." Cole growled, standing up and facing Kai with fists raised.

Kai smirked. _Then he doesn't know the things Grandpa Wu teaches._

His left leg suddenly came up, hitting Cole in the head. Cole collapsed onto his knees, clutching his head in pain.

"Major migraine, huh?" Kai snapped at Cole.

The bully looked up and Kai to snap back a reply, then his look grew smug. "Whoops. Looks like your perfect record is about to be blemished, just like your face." he mumbled, his eyes blazing with arrogance.

Kai turned, a cold pit of dread growing in his stomach. His heart dropped as he saw who was behind him.

"Principal Brown, I didn't see you there." he chuckled nervously.

The gray-haired principal looked over his glasses at the student. 'Obviously you didn't." he said, his voice strict. "My office, now."

Kai threw a look over his shoulder at Zane and Mike as he was being led away. Both were watching him with wide, helpless eyes, and Zane mouthed, _I'm sorry._

In the principal's office, Cole and Kai were sat down in chairs beside each other. They shot glares each others' way, then turned their attention to the principal across the desk.

"Now, I've come to expect this from Cole, but you, Kai?" Mr. Brown knew Kai from his practically perfect and pristine records.

Kai glared at Cole, then turned and apologetic look to Mr. Brown. "He was picking on one of my friends!"

Mr. Brown sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Well, it wouldn't be fair for me to suspend one of you and not the other. I'm sorry, you two, but you're both suspended. Not much of a surprise for Cole, but you, Kai…."

"I know, I know, if you want I'll call my mom myself." Kai sighed.

Mr. Brown looked surprised for a moment before nodding in approval. "Okay, go to the front office and tell Ms. Smith to let you call your mother."

Kai nodded and stood up, heading out the door. As he closed it he could hear Mr. Brown chewing Cole out some more, which made him snicker.

As he was walking toward the front office, he bumped into a blond-haired boy with a large tarp and pieces of wood under his arm. The boy dropped the stuff in his arms, and Kai bent to help him pick it up, glad there were no other kids in the hall to jostle them around.

When he looked up to give the boy his things, his stare went blank. "You're… Jay, right?"

Usually he wouldn't know the other on sight, but something told him that this was Jay. He looked surprised that Kai knew his name.

"And you're Kai, right? You're brave for standing up to Cole. Good job, buddy." He gave a jocular grin as he tucked his stuff back under his arms and walked away.

Kai stared after him. There was something familiar about him, even though he'd only really passed him in the halls before. Something suddenly made him start to jog after Jay, the same thing that had made him invite Zane over.

"Jay!" he called.

The blond turned around, his eyes still gleaming with humor. "Yeah?"

"Think you can come over to my place after school today? It's the old dojo downtown, but we use it as a house now."

For a moment the blond looked shocked, but then he slowly nodded. "Okay, usually I would say no, but I have an odd feeling about you. Like I've met you before."

"Same here." Kai admitted. "Well, see you then."

He walked to the office and called his mother, and soon she was there to pick him up. She didn't really seem mad, and the only thing she asked was why he had started the fight.

Kai looked down at his feet. "Well, he was picking on my friend. I couldn't let him do that, and people have let him walk all over them for too long." He looked up with a small smirk as he added, "He was way too arrogant before. Besides, only a coward picks on someone who they know won't fight back."

His mother smiled. "Well, I won't ground you since I think you've learned your lesson. Now let's get you home to get some ice on that eye."

**Please review and give your honest opinions! ^^**

**~Kaori**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, some of you have been like, "Jay's blond! O.o" or, "Jay's not blond!" Well, this is an alternate universe. I've decided to adjust a few things. Like not having Nya in the story, or having Kai's mom alive. Just to let you all know, his dad didn't die. He left the family when Kai was young. Another thing I changed, along with Cole being a bit of a bully. So please don't complain about any changes I've made, and I'm certain we'll all get along fine. ^^**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ninjago. So you will never sue me alive! **

Chapter Three: Five Meet at Kai's

Kai heard the door knock and rushed downstairs to open it, holding an icepack to his swollen eye and leaving his unfinished homework on his bed. "I'll get it, mom!" he shouted to his mother, who was in the kitchen, already starting dinner. They usually ate early.

Kai opened the hardwood door, and a crisp breeze blew inside, making him shiver. He blinked a few times, trying to get used to the glaring white light of the sun after the dimness of the house (his family liked to keep their lights off whenever possible to conserve energy), and when they cleared, he saw Zane and Jay.

"What're you doing here? I only invited Jay." Kai wasn't being harsh to the other boy, but rather, he sounded curious.

"I sensed I would be needed." Zane said, shrugging.

"He just kinda came along when I left." Jay said, grinning as always. "He's a really nice guy, once you get past his sixth sense being kind of off-setting at all. Maybe Cole doesn't like him because he's intimidated by him."

Jay looked at Zane as he began to chuckle, surprised, but Kai, who had gotten to know him the day before, just smiled. "I hardly think Cole would be very intimidated by me."

"You're right, wimp."

Jay and Zane spun around, and Kai's eyes widened as he saw Cole behind the other two, glaring with his arms crossed. The bully looked ticked off.

"Listen, I didn't know you were the leader of the freaks before, but stay outta my way at school, okay? Next time I won't go so easy one you." Cole said threateningly, stomping up to Kai.

"You, go easy on me? I think it's you that needed to be gone easy on." Kai scoffed.

"Is that a challenge?" Cole asked, stepping forward so he was almost nose-to-nose with the brown-haired boy.

"What, you want one?" Kai growled menacingly.

Jay and Zane stepped back, looking unsure of what to do as the tension in the air thickened. One wrong move and they could be watching another fight go down like earlier that day.

Suddenly, a strange noise alerted all four of them to the presence of the car swerving down the long, narrow driveway.

Yes, swerving.

_BWA-DA-BUM-BUM-BUM-BUM-BA-BUM-BA-BWA-DA-DA!_

Kai's eyes widened. "Grandpa Wu is early!" he gasped, flinging himself out of harm's way as the car just barely missed hitting him as it swerved back on the driveway and finally screeching to a halt.

And old man wearing a crisp business suit stepped out of the car, carrying a suitcase and mumbling to himself. His long beard was neatly combed, and he wore a hat to hide his balding head.

Kai's grandfather made his way over to the four. He smiled at Kai's friends, then at Kai.

"I see you finally decided to meet the right friends." He told his grandson, then threw his suitcase at Jay. "Take this inside for me, young man, if you so please." He folded his hands behind his back as he began to walk inside again.

Jay caught the suitcase, and, surprised by the weight of it, was flung backwards onto the grass outside Kai's house. "Oof!"

Wu turned back to look at Jay and shook his head, sighing in what seemed to be disappointment. "So fail." Then he resumed his slow pace back inside.

Kai, however, couldn't move. He was rooted to the spot as his head began to spin and ache, his vision swimming. All of a sudden, he saw things differently.

_He was going through some type of training course. The first spinning dummies flung him back the first time. _

"_Fail." He looked up a flight of three steps, his eyes connecting with his grandfather's, who had a now-empty cup in his hand and a teapot by his side. He got up and left the training area. "You will try again tomorrow."_

_Over and over, Kai repeated the training course, but to no avail._

"_Fail."_

"_Fail!" _

"_So fail!" _

_Finally, there came a day when Kai knew he could complete the course. Determination in his eyes, he started. _

_When he was about halfway through, he glanced over at Wu. The old man had the cup raised to his mouth, about to finish it, and Kai flung his wooden sword at the cup, knocking it from the old man's hands. He gave Kai a look and filled another cup with tea, reaching for the sugar as he looked up to see where his student was on the training course. _

_He could find neither his student or the sugar cubes. _

_He looked over to see if the bowl of white cubes where just out of reach, but he was met with a surprising sight. _

"_Now was that one cube, or two?" _

_His student was smirking triumphantly as he held out the bowl of sugar cubes to Wu. _

Kai shook himself out of it as the pain faded away. It was probably just something knocked out of place from the fight earlier. He followed Grandpa Wu into the house, gesturing for Zane and Jay to follow. For some reason, Cole came in as well.

Wu looked at his grandson as he and the others entered the kitchen. "Memories are worth so much, aren't they? It's a shame to lose them, but if they aren't gone forever, then I think it would b okay." he said sagely, in one of his rare wise moments.

He was rather eccentric now that he was old, always talking about training four elemental ninjas in the art of something called Spinjitsu to save someplace called Ninjago.

**Woo! Updated two stories in one day! One was at 12:30, but still… XD**

**I really must thank everyone for their support, though. Three chapters, forty-two reviews, eleven favorites, and sixteen alerts, all for this one story, now with just four chapters? I feel so honored. QuQ **

**~Kaori**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ninjago.**

Chapter Four: Snake

"Y-your mom seriously keeps a pet snake?"

Kai raised his eyebrows at the stutter in Cole's voice. The bully didn't look so confident now.

"Yeah, this big black snake, why?"

Cole shuddered. "I hate snakes."

Zane looked over at Cole and said, "I thought you weren't supposed to be afraid of anything.

Kai suddenly felt light-headed as he was put into a different time and place again.

"_Well I'm not afraid of anything in this entire world!" Cole said arrogantly. _

"_Except dragons." Zane put in. _

"_Uh, dragons aren't _from_ this world, Zane. I said _in _this world." Cole said, looking put-out and slightly annoyed._

Kai shook his head, and Jay and Zane immediately looked over at him with concern, Cole with more that slight annoyance.

"You okay?" Jay asked in worry. "You don't look too good."

Something suddenly hit Kai through his mind, and memories of a different world suddenly flooded back to him. Now he understood why these people were so familiar- in that world, they were his comrades.

When he looked back up at the other three, he saw wonder and recognition in their eyes as well. "You guys?" Cole muttered, looking at them. Then his eyes landed on Kai and his black eye, and his eyes widened. "Oh God, Kai, I am so sorry!"

"It's okay, you didn't know then." Kai sighed, shaking his head.

"No, he didn't." an old voice agreed from behind the spiky-haired boy.

The fire ninja whirled around. "Sensei?" he gasped, taking in his 'grandfather' wearing the clothing from the other world.

The old man nodded, then disappeared in a sudden tornado of golden light that whirled around the boys. When it disappeared, they were in their ninja suits, holding their golden weapons. They looked over themselves in awe, then back up at their teacher.

"Sensei, does this mean we have a job here?" Zane asked.

Sensei Wu nodded. "It does. The Queen of Dreams, Yume, has taken you captive in your sleep. I allowed her to capture me so I would be able to come and help you out of this dreamscape before you were allowed to die. I used my own mind to force you all into a social situation here just as I came so you would be forced into remembering."

"So how do we get out?" Kai asked anxiously.

Just as the words left him, the ground began to shake, and the house scene began to melt into a black place, filled with darkness. Kai was shoved against a wall forcefully as the ground trembled, and he could feel smooth, cold obsidian.

As soon as the earthquake was over, the boys and Sensei stood. The house had undergone a complete transformation into a black obsidian hallway, its interior cold and dark, making them shudder.

"First, we fight our way to the Queen of Dreams." Sensei said.

And with those words, an ominous feeling settled in the air.

**Yep, I'm starting this back up now. Two, maybe three more chapters to go. **

**~Kaori**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ninjago.**

Chapter Five: Dream

"It feels like we've been walking forever." Cole mumbled. A while ago they had learned that speaking too loud would cause eerie echoes in the great obsidian building.

"I sense we are close to our goal, however." Zane said softly, looking up at Sensei Wu, who was in the lead. He appeared to be leading them down random hallways, but walked with purpose in his stride.

The white-haired man nodded. "You are correct. We have almost reached the center of Yume's dream palace." But he did not sound relieved. Instead, his voice was grave and more serious than it had ever been.

Suddenly, Sensei Wu lead the boys around one more corner, and a pair of smooth stone doors, made of cold black obsidian like everything else in the palace, loomed ahead. "Is that the door? It doesn't look safe. They probably aren't the doors we need, right? We just made a wrong turn somewhere. Maybe we should go back. You know, to find the right door." Jay babbled nervously, that is, until Kai elbowed him and put a finger to his lips in a signal to be quiet.

Sensei turned to his students. "Now, my students, I must leave you." Gasps of shock arose and echoed in the hall. "It is because I have already taken my turn facing Yume when I was a young boy, and now I cannot face her again, for you are only allowed to see her once in a lifetime, if at all. But make sure you agree to play her game, and make sure you win."

With the last words spoken, Sensei opened the door. As he did, he slowly faded, and the last words he spoke before exiting the dream realm hung in the air: "Good luck."

"Have you come to play with me?"

A young girl's voice stretched across the hall to the four ninja. As Kai looked up at her, his eyes widened.

She couldn't have been more than seven. She was petite, her small frame swallowed by the long, smooth silver gown she wore, contrasting with the dark walls and the stone throne she sat on, which looked to be built for a man many times larger than she. Her medium-length hair was colored dark gray, falling over her shoulders as she tilted her head at the boys, as if in curiousity.

Her most shocking feature was her eyes.

They were red- crimson, the color of blood. That's all they were. She had no pupils, no whites of her eyes. They were just shockingly red.

"Have you come to play with me?" The girl repeated her question for a second time, sounding slightly impatient now.

Remembering what Sensei had said, Kai stepped up first, nodding. "Yes, we have come to play your game."

The girl gave a small smile. "That is good. But I cannot play jacks with four at once." She frowned slightly, her childish face gaining a pouty look. Then it grew bright as she seemed to have an idea. "Ah, yes, that's brilliant!" she giggled out loud, sitting back in her throne with her arms on the arms of the rather large chair. "I will not get to play with all of you now, but my dream ninjas challenge you! If my ninjas win, you must stay and be mine forever!" she declared. "It has been this way for many ages, and now it will continue to be so. The winner shall be crowned victor. What do you want if you win, ninjas?"

"They want freedom." A new voice suddenly pushed its way into the dream.

"Michael!" Yume suddenly hissed, jerking up out of her chair. Her glowering red eyes, set on the firgure behind them, were smoldering in rage. "You are mine, Michael. I can take your life now very easily. You lost. You are not to help any other players! That was in your contract, our agreement!"

Kai slowly turned to see the boy who was his best friend in the dream world, only he looked older. Maybe in his thirties now, Michael gave him an apologetic look. "I tried to tell you before, but I couldn't find the time." he murmured, before turning defiant eyes to the dream queen. "Yume. You have become cruel, and you do not need more prisoners in this dream world. I will fight by them now, for my own freedom."

Yume's eyes widened for a moment, before she fell to the floor on her knees, clutching at her stomach as she was overcome with a fit of laughter. "A rematch! You know what the rematch means, Michael! Not a simple game of jacks anymore, that is certain." Her voice gained a darker tone as she looked up. "Michael, face the weapon of your demise." She slowly raised a hand and pointed one finger to another set of obsidian doors on the far end of the throne room from the ninjas and Mike.

It slowly creaked open, revealing two red eyes like Yume's own. A large gray beast stepped out, its skin seeming to be stretched tight over muscle as it stood on four legs, each tipped with three large yellow claws, its skin nearly translucent, and two curving horns on the top of its head. Its mouth was lined with five rows of gruesome pointed teeth, stained red and yellow. Its glowing red eyes seemed small in the face of the large beast, the horns nearly reaching the ceiling of the throne room, which was at least five stories on any normal building.

"That ugly thing?" Michael gave a laugh, but it was hoarse from his nervousness. "I can beat it with a simple piece of rope and a bow and arrows."

"Those are your weapons of choice?" Yume sighed. "Then the four ninjas must use their golden weapons, and you will have your rope and bows and arrows. How boring this will be. I was hoping to see a good match of double swords."

A bow appeared in Michael's hand as Yume glided back over to her chair, sitting back on it with ease, even in her long dress, which seemed like it should have tripped her as she walked. A quiver soon appeared, slung over Mike's back, along with a piece of rope.

"We can do this." Cole mumbled to everyone else, facing the giant bull-like beast. "You ready?"

Zane nodded. "We are a team. I calculate our probability of winning as high."

"Yeah, let's do this!" Jay said, appearing suddenly pumped up and ready to fight. "We got rid of the Great Devourer once before, we can fight this thing now!"

Mike smiled at their enthusiam, and Kai put a hand on the now-older man's shoulder. "We'll get through this and win you your freedom." he promised solemnly.

A single word came from Yume. "Begin!"

The beast let out a bellowing roar and began pawing the ground with its three-clawed hands, then began to charge.

"Ninjaaaa go!"

Four simultanious cries rang out, and four vortexes of elemental energy appeared around the reunited ninja team. Mike stared in shock for a moment before laughing and pulling a bow from the quiver, lining it up as he pulled back the bowstring. He let it fly, and it hit the gray beast in its eye, causing it to give a roar of anger and discomfort.

Kai took the small oportunity to charge forward, raising his sword above him as he spun in the vortex. He slashed it down on the creature's right foreleg, leaving a large wound behind as he quickly spun away.

The gray beast roared in pain, stumbling to the side before regaining its balance. It reared up, then crashed its massive forefeet back into the floor, causiung it to tremble and several of the boys to fall, except Zane. Zane stopped spinning and threw his shurikens at the nightmare creature, and they spun around its feet, freezing them in place on the already-cold obsidian floor, then returned to the ice ninja. The beast gave a howl of agony because of the cold needles of ice seeping through his thin skin, and it began to crack the thick layer of ice as it moved.

Cole quickly recovered from the trembling earth and jumped up, raising his scythe over his head. It was quickly brought down onto the floor, and the scythe caught and cracked the black stone, but the beast didn't fall into the pit that was created. Instead, the ice was cracked open, and it gave a low rumble before hopping to one side of the new gaping chasm before charging toward the ninjas and Mike once again.

Jay hopped out of the way of the charging animal along with the other ninjas. He swiftly jumped to his feet and raised his nunchucks above his head, swining them and charging their electrical power. He then flung the other end not in his hand toward the gray creature, and a ball of blue, crackling lightning was sent right at its chest.

It gave one last roar and fell over as it was hit. It raised one clawed forefoot and tried to lift itself up again, but it failed and slumped to the floor.

Then all was black for all five boys, and five words in Yume's voice rang through the darkness.

"You are now all free."

**One more chapter everybody, then maybe an epilogue! How'd you like the fight scene? Too long, too short, more description, less? It's my first fight scene, so I just want to improve. **

**~Kaori**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: This is the last time this will be said in this story: I do not own Ninjago!**

Epilogue: A Happy Ending

"Holy narwhal- you guys are alive?" Kori suddenly jumped back from the four as they sat up, rubbing their heads, and a bottle of something that looked like mud flew backwards and smashed against the wall.

"Uh, yeah, and, what was that?" Kai asked, looking at where the bottle had hit the wall and let glass bits on the floor, along with the muddy brown stuff.

"Oh, something Sensei Wu told me to put under you guys' noses if you didn't wake up in the next five or ten minutes so you could get out of the dream world. Of course, he did tell me that about… half an hour ago." she said thoughtfully.

"What would we do without you?" Kai commented sarcastically, but all the ninjas had gotten used to the female's insanity by this time.

"I have no idea! You know, I'll go tell the others you're awake. They were worried sick for no reason." Kori turned and exited the room.

The boys exchanged looks. "Hey, guys, I've been thinking since we gained our memories back in that dream world, and…." Jay began, trailing off.

"We can never do that to each other again, right?" Cole said firmly.

"We are a team. Acting to each other like we did in the school would only make us weak against our foes." Zane said. "We must make sure it doesn't happen again."

"It wouldn't have happened, if not for Yume." Kai said uneasily. "Right?"

"Or maybe she just saved us from the biggest mistake of our future lives." Cole sighed. "But it's all right now. You guys are my best friends, and I would never let that happen to this team."

"Me neither." Jay said, standing up. The others followed his example, though they were slightly unsteady at first.

"Let's make a pact, right now." Kai said. "Teammates forever. We'll always stand by each other, no matter what life throws our way." He put his hands out, and with a grin, the others each put their hands on top of his.

"Are you ready then, guys?" Cole asked. They nodded, looking determined. "Okay! Then let's go!" The four ran out onto the deck, where the others on Destiny's Bounty were already waiting for them. All of them were blissfully unaware that, in a world far, far away from theirs, a boy with spiky brown hair was quickly making three new friends, with whom he had shared the strangest of dreams the night before.

And that dream was that they were the best of friends in a world called Ninjago.

**Okay, who else likes the ending? :D Yup, it's over. O-V-E-R. It was a short story, but I must say, it's one of the first I've finished, and I think it's the best finished story I have at the moment. **

**Ooooh. Mike. I forgot him, as a reviewer pointed out. Well, I didn't forget him. But he's obviously not with the ninjas right? Well, his family thought he was dead and buried his body (because his spirit was taken out of him to the dream world about... seventeen years ago, when he was about twenty, maybe) and it decayed, and his spirit could finally rest in peace, because once he lost to Yume the first time he kinda was dead. :3 **

**~Kaori**


End file.
